Category: Travel

Families on Vacation

When I was a kid, family travel meant four kids crammed in the back seat of a sedan poking and elbowing one another while counting the miles between rest stops. Things have changed dramatically since then. But even with onboard DVDs, spacious minivans, air travel, cruises, and theme parks, family vacations can be either delightful…


Piercing Through Alaska’s Wilderness by Train

“Folks, it’s 300 feet straight down to the bottom of Hurricane Gulch,” the Alaska Railroad conductor declares, “and … hold on. I don’t know why we’ve paused. Let me find out.” Passengers glance at each other quizzically, peering out the window to see that, yes, it’s a long, long way down to the bottom of…


Start Planning Now for Viewing Next Year’s Total Solar Eclipse

By Nancy Clanton From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Atlanta—It might still be nine months away, but you should start planning now if you want to see next year’s eclipse in the path of totality. That 115-mile path will be your last chance for decades to experience a total solar eclipse in the contiguous United States. On…


Ed Perkins on Travel: Taming the Tipping Tsuris

“Tipping is out of control,” say 30 percent of respondents to a recent poll posted in Bankrate, and two-thirds have a “negative view of tipping.” My question is “What universe is the other one-third living in?” When I first started traveling with my parents—and I’m now an old geezer—the only people my father tipped were…


Six Flags Magic Mountain Food Festival Takes Thrill Seekers on a Culinary World Tour

By Brady MacDonald From The Orange County Register Six Flags Magic Mountain is tearing a page from the Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm playbooks with a series of food festivals designed to offer a more premium experience as the amusement park chain seeks to target a more affluent audience. Thrill seekers looking for a break…


What If This Travel Chaos Is Deliberate?

Commentary Well, it happened again. A friend was coming to visit with a layover flight covering three major airports. It should have taken a few hours. Instead, it took 12 hours, and only with the assistance of Amtrak on the last leg. The rebooked flight would have meant another 36-hour delay, so that was out…


Central Park Loeb Boathouse Reopens With Cafe, Boat Rentals

By Téa Kvetenadze From New York Daily News New York—Central Park’s iconic Loeb Boathouse has partially reopened in time for the summer season, with a new cafe menu, new operator and colorful boats after it closed last year due to financial struggles. The boat rentals and cafe — located on the building’s north side, with…


Ideas for Making Both Kids and Adults Happy

By Lynn O’Rourke Hayes From FamilyTravel.com Will you be traveling solo with kids or grandchildren soon? If so, here are five ideas to consider: 1. Opt for a Guest Ranch With an authentic and scenic setting as backdrop, you and your junior adventurers can enjoy beautiful places and learn horsemanship from experienced hands who will…


History Lives Along the Lower Mississippi River

Our room rivaled those in many an upscale hotel. Food and table settings were five-star. The list of activities in our temporary home-away-from-home covered a diversity of interests. We had opportunities to explore inviting towns that provided deep dives into Civil War and other history and to visit magnificent antebellum plantations. Adding to the allure…


Shipboard and Shore Excursion Fun on the Mississippi 

I’ve been on several boat trips—a barge cruise in France, a Danube River cruise, a sail along the Nile—and always the accommodations have been lovely. Sometimes very lovely. But it took a Mississippi River cruise from Memphis to New Orleans with American Cruise Lines to reach luxurious. “Stateroom” doesn’t adequately describe the accommodations on the…